Red Cross, Arvada Fire Team Up to Save Lives

Visit www.redcross.org/colorado/firesafety for more information or to sign up.

Posted June 29, 2015, by Patricia Billinger, Arvada, CO

The American Red Cross of Colorado and Arvada Fire Protection District are teaming up to reduce deaths and injuries due to home fires in Arvada.

On Saturday, July 11, volunteers from the Red Cross and representatives of Arvada Fire will go door-to-door in the Sheridan Mobile Home Park from 9 a.m.-noon, with drills, smoke alarms, batteries and information on how to prevent fires and how to make a family escape plan.

The Red Cross still needs volunteers for the event, and people who are bilingual in English and Spanish are especially needed. Members of the public are invited to sign up to volunteer for the outreach efforts. Visit www.redcross.org/colorado/firesafety for more information or to sign up.

The effort is part of an ongoing, five-year campaign by the American Red Cross to reduce deaths and injuries caused by home fires by 25 percent. Home fires are the most common disaster to which the Red Cross responds – in fact, the Red Cross responds to an average of nearly 70,000 home fires each year nationwide. Seven times a day someone in this country dies in a fire.

Colorado residents are encouraged to take these two steps to safeguard their own families against home fires:

Ensure you have working smoke alarms – install at least one smoke alarm on each level of your home, especially outside bedrooms. If you have smoke alarms, test them regularly to ensure they work and replace the batteries twice annually.

Have and practice a home escape plan – make sure every member of your household knows two routes out of your home and where to meet up in case of an emergency. Make sure they know they have less than 2 minutes to escape safely, and practice your plan so you can escape in that little time.